Have you ever responded to a question and then, ten minutes later, come up with a much smarter answer? It happens to me all the time. I’m constantly replaying conversations over in my mind and thinking: I should have said that instead.

It happened to me only yesterday. I was speaking at an event in Amsterdam when a journalist cornered me and asked me on camera (I hate speaking on camera) how content marketing could aid conversion.

I stumbled through a few well-versed quotes about how content generates traffic and builds trust by humanizing the brand, etc., but he didn’t seem convinced.

To be honest, I wasn’t entirely convinced myself.

What I should have done is thrown the question back at him.

As a journalist, he should know that content marketing aids conversion. The publishing and broadcasting industries have been using content marketing to aid conversions for years now. I’ve said it before: there is nothing new about content marketing.

Traditional media outlets sell advertising on the back of great content. Consumers, who are initially attracted to media outlets by their content, buy products and services that are advertised alongside this content. If anyone should know that content marketing works well to aid conversions, then a journalist whose livelihood relies on producing great content that ultimately generates revenue should know better.

Even companies like Google that don’t produce content (in the traditional sense) rely on great content to aid conversions. In Google’s case, their search engine results pages (SERPs) are their content. These results need to be strong enough to sell advertising on the back of them. Google got good at delivering relevant results (content) and therefore was able to selling highly lucrative ad space when its competitors floundered.

As email marketers, we should always remember that great content helps sell more products.

Despite this, I constantly see a flood of dull, boring and unengaging emails hitting my inbox. If I’m going to convert, I’m going to need to be entertained, informed or otherwise engaged beyond the promise of another weekly/monthly newsletter.

The moral of the story is, if you want to get good at selling more, get your content right first.

Now, where’s that journalist? I’ve got some great content to share with you.